NPC's 13th three-year plan aims to transform Nepal into a developing country from least developed one

The draft of the upcoming 13th three-year plan set by the National Planning Commission (NPC) has a long-term perspective of transforming Nepal into a developing country from the least developed country status within the next ten years.

According to state-owned news agency RSS, a draft of the strategy of the 13th interim three-year-plan (2070 -073 BS) was made public on Monday at a central-level discussion programme organised by the NPC to discuss on the proposal of three-year plan. Improving the living standard of the people with the alleviation of poverty in the country was the strategy of the 13th three-year plan.

The proposed plan has a goal of reducing the number of people under the poverty line to 18 per cent from the existing 23.8 per cent.

Commission Secretary Yubraj Bhusal told RSS the draft will get a final shape within June 29 and a meeting of the National Development Council to be held on July 5-6 is expected to approve it. As per the provision, Chairman of Council of Ministers shall head the Council.

The government has planned to bring the three-year plan before the announcement of upcoming budget and formulate government policies and programmes on the same basis.

Presenting the draft of plan at the programme, NPC Joint Secretary Pushpalal Shakya said the Commission was going to bring a three- year plan again in an alternative to the five-year-plan as there was no stable government in the country.

Development of hydropower and energy sectors, productivity growth of agro sector and its diversification and commercialization, basic education, health, drinking water and sanitation, good governance, expansion of roadways, development of physical infrastructures, tourism and trade are the priorities of the upcoming three-year development plan, according to Shakya.

Reducing the existing trade deficit and attaining the higher economic growth rate are the main challenges of upcoming development plan that has a strategy of increasing the contributions of private, government and cooperate sectors, partners of three-pillar economic policy, to the sustainable, broad and inclusive economic development of country.

Empowerment of targeted groups of people and minimization of negative impacts of climate change are other strategies of the 13th three-year development plan.

Giving feedbacks about the proposed plan, leaders of different political parties and representatives of bodies concerned stressed on the need of political stability, guarantee of security, ending of unemployment problem, increment of foreign investment and good governance to upgrade the country from the least developed countries.

They suggested the government hold extensive discussions on the draft before its approval. Nepali Congress leader and former Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, NPC Vice Chairman Dr Rabindra Kumar Shakya, Officiating Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal Krishnahari Baskota were among those putting forth their views at the programme.